Northern Exposure

Of the four teams to play in the past two NFC Championship Games, three came from the North Division. The NFC North is usually an afterthought in talks of the best divisions. Detroit had a lot to do with that. The North division of the NFC is moving to the front. Green Bay won the Super Bowl. Chicago challenged. Minnesota faded in a season from hell. Detroit is clearly on the rise. After the first two rounds of the 2011 Draft, the division has gotten stronger.

Green Bay, as most champs do, approached the draft with few holes. They still managed to make super QB Aaron Rodgers an even happier man. Solid tackle Derek Sherrod will help Rodgers breathe a bit more easy. Kentucky receiver Randall Cobb in the second is the one that worries me the most. He makes and already explosive offense more explosive and much more versatile. He is a little like the Vikings' Percy Harvin. He can do a bit of everything.

Chicago scored with some big guys. I really like Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi in the first. He may already be their best lineman. If that wasn't bad enough they grabbed Oregon St. strongman and defensive tackle Stephen Paea in the second. Chicago got stronger in the always important trenches.

As for Detroit. They annoy me the most. I wish that they would bring back Matt Millen. That guy could kill any franchise. The Lions are getting better at an incredible pace. Their first round selection of Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is simply unfair. Teaming him with Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the defensive line can be devestating. Centers and guards throughout the league will have restless sleep for years facing the Lions. Adding offensive playmakers in receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure in the second will perk up the scoring. If Matt Stafford can stay healthy, Detroit is real close. I miss Matt Millen.

After being an overtime away from the Super Bowl in 2009, Minnesota is in a precarious position in the division. Just as everything went wrong last year. Everything must go right this year to stay out of the cellar. Finding a QB, a young QB, is key. They have added that QB in Christian Ponder. I liked the pick yesterday. I love the pick today after listening to his press conference. He has been a Viking for only hours, and he wants to get players together to train during this ridiculous labor situation. I like it. The QB needs to lead. I think that he can start this year. With Adrian Peterson's tremendous skills taking most of the pressure, Ponder can ease into the job while on the field. The Vikings helped Ponder's transition to the NFL with the selection of Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph in the second. Every QB likes a fast, sure-handed, 6' 6" tight end. An efficient year by Ponder and the Vikings will be in the chase for that North title.

Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit clearly improved themselves in just the first two rounds. I think that Minnesota did as well, but they are dependent on the quick transition of a QB. That is always a dicey situation. I think that the Vikings grabbed the right one in Christian Ponder. He has an intriguing skill set and intangibles. The Packers, Bears and Lions are set at QB with Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler (Ha!), and Matthew Stafford. The Vikings need Ponder to join that list. With a talented, veteran team the Vikings can certainly be contending.

Some more draft notes:
It was a kick to see Turlock, CA on the NFL Network broadcast of the draft. New 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is from my home town. The kid has some tremendous skills. Talents that coach Jim Harbaugh can enhance.

It's dizzying to watch Bill Belichick dance around the draft. If I was a Patriots fan, I would lose my little mind. The trade that he made with Oakland in the 3rd was bizarre. Sounds like the teams were discussing it for most of the day. Oakland traded for a 3rd and 4th seemingly at random. Both picks were acquired well in advance so it was impossible to target any particular player. I've never seen anything like it. Belichick even said that it was a new one for him. Personally, I think that Al Davis was just messing with Belichick in some way that only he understands.

Watching Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett fall to the middle of the 3rd was sort of depressing. I have heard nothing very serious about his off field issues. Nothing that would cause a player that talented to drop that far. I have seen players with far greater issues drafted much earlier. I guess that it is just the QB position. They must need those players to be saints.

Mike Mayock is one of my favorite draft peeps. He is as informed and "tuned-in" as any out there. He really screwed up yesterday in talking about Cal safety Chris Conte. When the Chicago Bears kept Conte as a Bear by selecting him in the 3rd, Mayock had a story to tell. He said that new Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast told Conte to lose 20 lbs so that he could move from linebacker to safety. Conte played his first three years at corner and then switched to safety. He didn't have to drop weight to make the switch either. Very strange, Mayock never makes errors like this. Conte was one of my favorites and I really hoped that he would make it to Minnesota. He was a very good college corner, but when he moved to safety he looked like a natural. I hate when Cal players that I like play on division rivals. Each team has one now in the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Lions' Jahvid Best and now Conte.

The dreaded Randy Moss trade never stops haunting me. It helped torpedo the nightmare season of 2010, and now I had to sit through and entire 3rd round without a Vikings selection. Tears dropped as players came off the board. A sad time.

Here's to the futures of these young football players. Today many dreams will come true.

It's Ponder Time

There are a whole bunch of upset Vikings fans right about now. I really think that these pissy purple people should wait a bit on that judgement. Florida State's Christian Ponder is the Vikings QB of the future. Perhaps the present too. It could be a fun time.

I have been a big Jake Locker fan throughout this process. I was getting a bit excited when Blaine Gabbert started to drop a little too. Both were gone by #10. Two spots too early for the Vikings. It appears that they were fond of another. When you really get down to it, Christian Ponder may have had fewer questions to his game than any other QB in the draft. I would think that would make fans happy. I was excited about Locker because of what he might do. I liked Ponder for what I knew that he could do. I can't find any reason for the Ponder hate. There really is a lot to like about Ponder, and all the fun that can be had with his name. Ponder that! The despised QB is very smart, very accurate, mobile, played in a "pro-style" offense at a top school, great leader, great kid. The only real knock is that he has had a few injuries. Injuries are an issue in football no matter how healthy a player is. Some claim that he is a reach. If there is no chance to draft the player at your next pick, I wouldn't call it a reach. If trading back a bit works. Great. It takes two to trade. It's not always as easy as just saying "trade back". You don't want to risk losing your player. I have never understood the uproar over a pick minutes after it's made. No one, at that point, knows with absolute certainty that a player is a failure. Give the player a chance. Give Ponder a chance.

 I've really gotten sick of this rotation of veteran QBs for the Vikings. So sick. Except for a few happy years with Daunte Culpepper, it has been over 30 years since they have had a "franchise QB". Tommy Kramer had some moments but it was never smooth sailing. It's kinda nice to have that hope again. Hope for the future. Maybe the present too. With that hope I am happy. With Christian Ponder, Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar, the Vikings have a QB group with a grand total of 2 starts. It doesn't scare me at all.

I will have a bunch more stuff to spout about the draft over this weekend. For the time being, here are a few quickies:
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff just continues to impress. I had heard rumors of the Falcons looking to jump from #27 to Cleveland's #6, but I never thought that he would pull of that leap. He did it and landed Alabama WR Julio Jones. I thought that Jones was the best WR in the draft. I just love tough receivers. Guys like Hines Ward and Anquan Bolden. Jones joining Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez could be scary. Falcons will challenge the Packers this year.
Detroit adding DT Nick Fairley to Ndamukong Suh scares the hell out of me.
The Saints were impressive today. Adding Cal's Cameron Jordan and Heisman winner Mark Ingram.
The Ravens had the very same draft fiasco as the Vikings in 2003, and not a joke was floated. What is up with that?

Throwback Thursday: The NFL Draft

WooHoo! Draft day is finally here. We have a few more hours so let's skip back a few decades to a different time and a different NFL. It may difficult to believe, but there was a time when there was no draft. None! 16 years of no draft. That's a long time to wait for your team's first pick.

George Halas liked it this way. His Bears had the clout. He got most every player that he wanted. If he didn't, Green Bay or New York did. The Bears, Packers and Giants pretty much had a stranglehold on the league. Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell had a better way. His team had no chance competing with the power teams of the league. No one did. He tossed out the idea of the draft with the weaker teams having first shot at the best college talent. Halas knew that his success with the Bears depended upon the overall success of the league. Every team had to be competitive or at least had the hope of being competitive. The other teams could see the logic too, but Halas was always the key. In 1936 the NFL Draft was born. The first ever Heisman Trophy winner became the first ever pick in the draft when University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger was selected by the Eagles. The Eagles traded his rights to the Bears but he chose other career opportunities and never played in the league. This actually happened on occasion in the early days of the NFL. Professional football just wasn't the grand occupation that it is now. Same with the draft. It's huge now. Halas may have missed on signing Berwanger, but he showed that he could work with this new draft thing. He struck gold with future Hall of Famers Joe Stydahar and Dan Fortman.

Fast forward to today and the 12th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft: The Minnesota Vikings select University of Washington QB Jake Locker. If any of you 49er fans are listening, I say, in a stroke of incredible luck, Patrick Peterson. There is no true explanation for a player that talented being available at #7. Kinda like the 2007 draft and another player named Peterson.

Draft TV

I might have been a bit rough with ESPN's draft coverage a few days ago. They did bring it on themselves, but I should be more appreciative of what that fading network has done.

For as long as I've been aware of the NFL draft, I have been a draft nut. The Vikings 1976 draft that brought James and Sammie White (no relation) to the team was the first that I really recall. I vaguely recall the earlier drafts of Chuck Foreman, Fred McNeil and Matt Blair. I remember those days of no TV and Monday and Tuesday drafts. It's almost shocking now to think of such dire days. My father regularly listened to the radio, and that was my source of all things draft. Which was very little. Especially trying to find Vikings information on 49ers/Raiders radio networks. ESPN brought light to those dark days not long after the tiny network made the scene. The NFL Draft may have been their first mainstream break. Chris Berman made a name for himself and the network with the draft. They even succeeded in bringing the little basement boy, Mel Kiper, out of the shadows. For nearly 30 years, I watched every NFL draft on ESPN. I should probably show them a bit more respect. I salute you ESPN. Thank you for all those draft filled days.

ESPN has now gone the way of the Monday-Tuesday drafts, a distant memory. I'm in NFL Network's corner now. Rich Eisen and his merry friends have taken the draft to another level. They put on a terrific show.

QB Bashing

Seeing as the Vikings have a significant need at QB, I have been paying extra attention to this years crop of signal callers. A lot, if not all, of the paid draft commentators spout about none being a Sam Bradford or a Matt Ryan. I remember when those very same QBs were not a Sam Bradford or a Matt Ryan. Bradford was always hurt. Ryan didn't have an NFL arm. The people who praise those young NFL QBs now beat them down something fierce before they were drafted. The very same people that rip Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett, etc. ripped Bradford, Ryan, Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman in past years. All prospects are mysteries, but every year players are condemned to the trash heap before they even step on a football field. You would think that the draft people would learn. Discussing a players strengths and weaknesses is one thing, but actually stating that a player has no chance is something else. Enough draft projections are wrong every year that you would expect the professionals to back off a bit on the condemnations. In the past decade, I have been especially high on Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Josh Freeman. Each fell to the bottom half of the first round and Brees to the first pick in the second. I thought little of Matt Leinart's and Alex Smith's chances. I wasn't always right. I thought that Jay Cutler had a backbone. Actually, the 2006 draft is a perfect example of the supposed experts incorrectly piling praise. Vince Young and Matt Leinart were considered can't miss prospects. Jay Cutler was a bit behind them. At this point Young and certainly Leinart look like wild misses. The book is still out on Cutler but I wouldn't read it.

I realize that all this predraft nonsense is for entertainment purposes. To spark debate. To prompt some knucklehead with a computer to toss out a blog. The constant criticism just gets a bit old. There is so much guesswork in drafting that any definitive comment really needs to be softened. I really should keep in mind that the only opinions that really matter are those of the 32 teams. They're not talking.

RIP Joe "the Jet" Perry

Finally a Fan of the Fans

"And, of course, the public interest represented by the fans of professional football-who have a strong investment in the 2011 season-is an intangible interest that weighs against the lockout. In short, this particular employment dispute is far from a purely private argument over compensation."
       -Judge Susan Nelson in her ruling against the idiotic lockout

The lockout is over pending the owners inevitable appeal to the Circuit Court. So, it's over but not quite. It's a step in the right direction on the winding path to the return of football. All along the owners and players have claimed to be concerned about the fans. Judge Nelson is the first person to actually show it. Finally, someone truly cares. This whole ridiculous episode really needs to be put to rest. Thank you Judge Nelson for the first step in the right direction.

Draft Hilarity

ESPN had too much fun at the Minnesota Vikings expense during the 2002 and 2003 drafts. It was all lost on me, of course, but ESPN yukster Chris Berman couldn't get enough.

Let the deeply troubled Flea Flicker refresh the scene. In 2002 the Vikings were beginning their search for a defensive tackle to pair with Chris Hovan. They also desperately needed an offensive tackle to protect Daunte Culpepper. The big QB was finally taking more punishment than he was dishing. Dallas was picking one spot ahead of Minnesota at 6. As the Cowboys' 15 minutes elapsed the Vikings rushed to the podium with their first choice, North Carolina defensive tackle Ryan Sims. Kansas City was up there too with their pick, North Carolina defensive tackle Ryan Sims. Apparently, Kansas City had made a last second trade with Dallas moving under, around and over the Vikings. Fortunately, Kansas City was stuck with Sims, who never lived up to the demand that he created on draft day. The Vikings selected my first choice, their second choice, Miami offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. Although McKinnie has never lived up to his enormous potential, he has been a very good lineman with one Pro Bowl appearance. I have never understood what exactly the Vikings did here that was so hilarious. It sure gave ESPN the platform for the events of 2003.

The following year, the Vikings were again picking at 7. They had only one player in mind. They felt that they could trade back a bit, add a later pick and still get their man. Baltimore had their eyes on Marshall QB Byron Leftwich and agreed to a trade with Minnesota to move up to 7 and draft the QB. At least that was what the Vikings people thought. The Vikings sent their trade notification in to the league, but Baltimore, for some reason never did. The Vikings time ran out and ignited one of the more bizarre sequences that I have ever seen at the draft. Teams were racing to the podium trying to get their picks in. The Vikings got their pick in at what turned out to be #9. They still got their player in all-everything defensive tackle Kevin Williams and even saved a few million in draft spots. Berman and has band of yahoos were full of good humor at the Vikings expense. They were still laughing about it years later. My biggest puzzle was how could Ravens coach Brian Billick screw the Vikings like that. He was hired as coach because of his work as the Vikings offensive coordinator. That was no way for him to act.

The Vikings had the last laugh. The apparent draft blunders brought Kevin Williams and Bryant McKinnie to the team. If they had drafted Sims, they likely would not have picked either Pro Bowl player. ESPN is crying now. NFL Network has introduced a better production and better talent with Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Charles Davis, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Kara Henderson, etc. Berman might still be joking but no one is listening now.

Flea Flicker Mock Draft 2.0

I just had to do another as we creep towards draft day. I think that there will be at least a couple of trades into the bottom of the first to grab QBs but predicting draft trades is about as stupid as mock drafts. Still gotta love the stupid mocks.
Here it is:

1. Carolina- Cam Newton QB Auburn
2. Denver- Marcell Dareus DT Alabama
3. Buffalo-Von Miller LB Texas A&M
4. Cincinnati-AJ Green WR Georgia
5. Arizona-Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri
6. Cleveland-Robert Quinn DE North Carolina
7. San Francisco-Patrick Peterson CB LSU
8. Tennessee-Nick Fairly DT Auburn
9. Dallas-Tyron Smith T USC
10. Washington-Julio Jones WR Alabama
11. Houston-Prince Amukumara CB Nebraska
12. Minnesota-Jake Locker QB Washington
13. Detroit-Anthonty Costanzo T Boston College
14. St. Louis-Aldon Smith DE Missouri
15. Miami-Ryan Mallett QB Arkansas
16. Jacksonville-DaQuan Bowers DE Clemson
17. New England-Mark Ingram RB Alabama
18. San Diego- Cameron Jordan DE California
19. NY Giants-Mike Pouncey C/G Florida
20. Tampa Bay-Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue
21. Kansas City-Nate Solder T Colorado
22. Indianapolis-Gabe Carimi T Wisconsin
23. Philadelphia- Derek Sherrod T Mississippi St
24. New Orleans-Kyle Rudolph TE Notre Dame
25. Seattle-JJ Watt DE Wisconsin
26. Baltimore-Jimmy Smith CB Colorado
27. Atlanta- Leonard Hankerson WR Miami
28. New England-Justin Houston LB Georgia
29. Chicago-Phil Taylor DT Baylor
30. NY Jets Corey Luiget DT Illinois
31. Pittsburgh-Aaron Williams CB Texas
32. Green Bay-Mikel LeShoure RB Illinois


Disclaimer: When I got down to the Jets at pick 30, I realized that I still had Luiget on the board. That's ridiculous. It would be a fantastic for the Jets. So fantastic that I hope that teams, like I did, forget about him a bit longer and is there at pick 43 for the Vikings.

They All Suck

"By the time we get done looking at these guys, none of 'em can play"-longtime NFL scout

The cycle of pre-draft hooey, to many, never ends. Some of it starts before the college season. That's nonsense. So, I don't count it. It really starts, for reals, at the end of the college bowl games. At that point, every draft eligible player is a star. Every player has a first round grade. It filters out a bit during the college all-star games, in particular the Senior Bowl. Now, some players are going in the 2nd round. A couple weeks later the combine reveals some of the players as posers. Sifting through all this new information with pro days and individual visits, more players are found to fail at this game of football. Most years, the NFL is on fire with free agency about this time. The draft takes a backseast, but not really. It's always creeping into view. Everything about free agency is done with the draft in mind. As March moves into April, more players are found that pretty much suck. It is all about the negatives now and every player has them. This time drives me nuts. The draft is so close and the players are just being torn apart. Bill Walsh once said "Just tell me what he can do. Don't tell me what he can't.". Teams start to lose site of what the players can do. Few, if any, player comes into the league as a finished product. I am more concerned with how a talented player responds to coaching, responds to being a professional athlete. I am much less concerned with harping on the negatives. Does the player love football? That's a question that I'm not sure is asked enough. They can all play the game, just give them a chance to do it.

Draft Busts

There's a strong possibility that there will be a lot of draft Flickering in the next few weeks. It is that time of the year, enhanced by the lockout locking out other fun stuff.

I have never much cared for the practice of blindly labeling players as draft busts. Certainly there have been players that have enthusiastically embraced the title, Jamarcus Russell. There are just too many players that have the title that have done nothing to deserve it. So many things factor into the success of a professional football player. Some are beyond their control. By the strictest definition, Ernie Davis could be tagged as a draft bust, but that doesn't seem at all fair. Injuries aren't fair either, but they are most certainly part of football. The Colts selected Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman first overall about 20 years ago. He was a monster. I can't recall a more dominant, more powerful defensive lineman. He was scary in college and appeared headed in that direction as a professional. Injuries destroyed his career, and he is often considered a bust. If John Elway had followed through with his threat to play baseball if the Colts did not trade him, would he be tagged as a bust? Probably. We have to label everyone. Going way back, college phenom Tom Harmon was drafted first overall but chose other opportunities. By the current definitions, he gets the label too. He did nothing for the Bears. Sometimes a player never gets his proper footing with a team because of the system or coaching. He just doesn't fit. In 2005, the Vikings tried to force first round receiver Troy Williamson to be Randy Moss. There were some problems other than the fact that Williamson wasn't Moss. He couldn't catch. Worse than Terrell Owens. Something that I never would have thought possible. It was a nightmare to watch Williamson try to catch. Now, this is something that the Vikings should have noticed. This is also a perfect example of my biggest issue with freely throwing the "bust" label at players. Outside of deaths and injuries, it's often the fault of the teams. Look at any of Matt Millen's drafts with the Lions. How that guy kept his job for even a day is a miracle. Everything about Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Lawrence Phillips, Charles Rogers, etc. screamed "do not touch". Labeling a player as a bust conveniently transfers the blame from the team to the player.

Throwback Thursday: Belichick Browns

The Flea Flicker ain't throwin' it back too far this week. About 20 years. In the past decade Bill Belichick has built the New England Patriots into the model franchise. Three wins in four Super Bowl appearances. Contending every year. This unquestioned success makes it easy to forget that Belichick had something brewing in the last years of the old Cleveland Browns. I have never truly understood Art Modell's reasons for firing Belichick. It certainly had a bit to do with the team's move to Baltimore. Perhaps Modell just wanted to be known as the idiot that fired Paul Brown and Bill Belichick.

If kept in place, I truly believe that Belichick was well on his way to great things in Cleveland/Baltimore. His success in New England over the past decade shows that he has it in him. The coaching staff and personnel department that Belichick put together was simply remarkable. Talent recognizes talent. His coaching staff included future NFL and college head coaches Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, Al Groh, Nick Saban, Kirk Ferentz and Pat Hill. The personnel group was even more incredible. Some of the best talent evaluators of the last 20 years learned with and from Belichick. Thomas Dimitroff, Ozzie Newsome, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum and Phil Savage all walked those halls in Cleveland. Amazing.

In my lifetime, Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh have made the greatest impact on professional football. Success may often be judged best in those that follow. So many people learned from those two. Their success and and teachings will carry for generations. Belichick's classroom started those days in Cleveland. We'll never know what that team might have become. Perhaps what we now see in New England we may have seen in Cleveland. Modell effectively shattered that. Breaking up that pack of talent did end up spreading Belichick's influence from Fresno to New York.

Smoke and Mirrors

Prior to the 2003 draft, Vikings coach Mike Tice made it very clear that the team was looking at defensive tackles. The Vikings wanted to team a blue chip bug guy with the emerging Chris Hovan. There were several excellent tackles at the top of that draft. Tice mentioned all of them except one. The funny thing about head coach Tice was that he was always open, chatting freely with the media. Everyone believed him. He was accurate and honest about the position. He just never mentioned the player. Kevin Williams was the choice. Few Vikings draft picks have played better.

As Michael Lombardi mentioned on NFL Network recently, the lies start about now. The amount of "stuff" that floats about this time of year is incredible. Up until the draft, it's listener beware. In 2007, there were rumors that the Vikings floated whispers that Adrian Peterson's collar bone was still broken and needed some work. He fell to #7. Not too far but far enough for the Vikings. Percy Harvin supposedly wasn't even on the Vikings draft board. Too much of a risk. He's on the Vikings team now. Turn to 2011, everyone knows the Vikings need a QB. There are a bunch of rumors about Jake Locker. Ryan Mallett too. The Vikings have looked at, interviewed or brought to Minnesota Locker, Mallett, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton, Ricky Stanzi, Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton. Is it 2003 all over again? They haven't said a word about Colin Kaepernick. Unless some team falls in love with his athletic skills, Kaepernick could be available in round two. Are the Locker rumors floated so that other teams start thinking that it can't be that obvious. You can't trust anybody or anything. It's kinda fun, a bit annoying, but all it really does is build anticipation for the draft. Frickin' exciting, ain't it?

Heaven on Earth

I can be fairly critical of many of the media folks, but one that is a champ is Sports Illustrated's Peter King. His column, Monday Morning Quarterback, regularly has great stuff. Yesterday, he wrote of his visit with Steve Sabol of NFL Films. Steve and his father, Ed, are football treasures. It has been a year of extreme emotions for the Sabol family. Ed Sabol was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in February. A few weeks later, Steve Sabol suffered a seizure caused by a brain tumor. He is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment to shrink the tumor. When Peter King asked of his prognosis, Sabol says that he hasn't asked, doesn't care as long as he makes it to August. He's told that he will. In August, Steve will present his father for induction into the Hall of Fame. His priority is simple. Sabol says, "I don't know what is waiting for me up there. But I can tell you this: Nothing will happen up there that can duplicate my life down here. Nothing. That life can not be better than the one I've lived down here. The football life. It's been perfect."

I always enjoy hearing of others living their dreams. Living a heaven on earth. There is envy, but mostly hope. Hope that everyone can find their dreams. Sabol has brought that feeling to others. His work inspires. He inspires. Several years ago, NFL Network draft guru, Mike Mayock was at a career crossroads. Unhappy in what he was doing. His football playing career was marginal and brief. He ended up selling commercial real estate. Sabol urged him to do what makes him happy. This led Mayock to his career analyzing football. One that makes him deliriously happy. It is evident every time you see Mike Mayock around draft time. Sabol inspires. He cares.

When Sabol goes in for chemo and radiation he brings his own music "The Power and the Glory: The Original Music and Voices of NFL Films". The voice of John Facenda echoes through the radiation chamber "Professional football in America is a special game, a unique game, played nowhere else on earth. It is a rare game. The men who play it make it so." Steve Sabol helped make it so.
Get well soon Steve.

Locker vs Mallett

I am still strongly in favor of the Vikings drafting Washington QB Jake Locker, but I am beginning to warm a bit towards Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. I think that both have terrific skills. Mallett is a tremendous thrower. He's accurate, great arm, sees the defense. Locker is more versatile. His passing and footwork needs some work, but the talent is there. His leadership, toughness and work ethic are what truly sets him apart. He can be special. The qualities that I find as real strengths in Locker may be lacking in Mallett. Whether or not he is truly lacking can't really be known without meeting him. If the Vikings draft Mallett, it would tell me that he has passed that test. The team would not draft him if my concerns are theirs and he has them.

One thing that has really impressed me about Mallett is his play action fakes. Play action is a play that is executed to look like a run but is actually a pass. The key is the fake handoff to the RB. Some QBs are sloppy with this, and I have never understood it. Even if you do not have the sleight of hand skills of a magician, there is no reason to half-ass it. With the Vikings, an effective play action can be deadly. Adrian Peterson is such a dangerous runner. Every defense is geared up to stop him. Defenses will immediately react to any chance that Peterson might get the ball. A moment of indecision by the defense will open up the pass. Mallett is excellent at play action. With his athleticism, I can see Locker developing his, but Mallett has proven it. I actually think that this skill is what has me most interested in Mallett.

I truly think that the Vikings draft a QB at #12. If a player like Alabama WR Julio Jones, Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara or  North Carolina DE Robert Quinn drop to the Vikings, they might put the QB on hold. It would be difficult to pass on players as skilled as those. Auburn's Cam Newton and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert are the top two QBs, but aren't expected to make it past #5. I don't see the Vikings having enough to trade up that high. Besides, I prefer Locker and Mallett. I might have convinced myself of that simply because I have never considered them as being available. Right now, my preferred choice for the Vikings is still Washington QB Jake Locker.

Aaron Rodgers

Nothing Aaron Rodgers does on the football field surprises me. It's just unfortunate that it has to be for the Packers. Everyone laughs now about the debate over whether Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf deserved to be the #1 pick of the 1998 Draft. I think that the debate over Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers in 2005 was just as laughable. The first time that I ever saw Rodgers throw the ball, I wondered how could this guy not have been recruited out of high school. How did everyone miss on him? How is his presence at Cal the result of blind luck? It's a well known tale now that Cal coach Jeff Tedford went up to Butte Community College to check out TE Garrett Cross, who by the way had a fine career at Cal. Rodgers just happened to be the guy that was throwing to Cross. Tedford liked what he saw, and Rodgers finally had himself a long overdue scholarship. It still amazes me that no one saw anything of Rodgers in high school or his one year of junior college. I have often wondered what would have happened if some other QB had thrown the passes to Cross that day. Would we have missed out on one of the finest QBs of this generation?

I have always seen in Rodgers, from his first throws at Cal to this past Super Bowl, a coolness, a calm that simply says "yes, I am this good". He isn't cocky. He actually comes across as just the opposite. He's confident in his ability, his work and his preparation. Some considered Rodgers a Tedford creation. Perhaps that is why he slipped in the draft. Akili Smith, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller were first round QBs molded by Tedford. All pretty much failed in the NFL. Maybe those that knocked Rodgers felt that he would do the same. In Tedford's defense, he is a college coach and all his QBs excelled at the college level. Rodgers has excelled because he is that good. Tedford simply gave him a chance to show it. Rodgers was great in college. He has been great in the pros. Coaches and scouts missing him and underestimating him, 2 or 3 times, shows how inexact the process is. Everyone has an opinion. They just aren't always right. I am happy for him. He deserves it. He has certainly worked hard for his success. But why, oh why, does it have to be Green Bay?

A Little More Childress

I just wanted to add a couple more thoughts to the earlier Flicker about Brad Childress. Many Vikings disliked Childress before he had even said a word at his introductory press conference. Since Childress had such a low profile as the Eagles offensive coordinator, I think that he was mostly anonymous to fans. It is easy to hide behind Andy Reid. Many thought that Childress looked like the actor Gerald McRaney. I guess that they weren't big Major Dad fans. Usually it takes a few games to build up a dislike for a coach. These jokers started as soon as he was hired and it never changed.

A few years ago, guard Anthony Herrera ran into the coach at the Vikings facility. It came up during their conversation that Herrera was on his way to be sworn in as a U.S. citizen. He was born in Trinidad. Childress discovered that no family or friends were going to be there for Herrera. Childress dropped everything to be there for his player. At a time when teams seem to care little for their players, it is refreshing to hear of a coach that did.

The Dark Side

"Defensive players are hunters. I needed to be in a hunter's state of mind. I used to try to get pissed. I'd go to work and take whatever I could that was bugging me. I would be pissed that I couldn't find a good parking space at the stadium and I'd take that anger out on the field."
                                                   -former Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas

Football players have always needed to find a dark place before they stepped onto the field. They have to do something to trigger the violence and aggression needed in the game. You can have a ton of football talent, but if you can't bring that violence it is difficult to make it in football. Former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown used to fire himself up by punching his fellow linemen in the face. I think that might be a pretty powerful trigger for his fellow offensive linemen. The trigger is different for everyone. Some might use slights, perceived or real, that they have experienced at some time in their lives. Disrespect is always a great motivator. Randy Moss has spent his entire career pissed that he fell to the 21st pick in the 1998 draft. He has taken it out on those teams ever since, Dallas in particular. Players will grab anything to slip over to the dark side. As important as bringing the nasty to the game is the ability to come back after the game.

Throwback Thursday: Some AAFC

I'm quite sure that the All America Football Conference will make frequent visits to the Throwback edition of the Flea Flicker. I'm really quite fond of the feisty little league. My father and I had many conversations about those days, those players and those teams. He became a San Francisco 49ers fan the day the team was born in 1946. Despite being loyal to the 49ers, he was always able to appreciate great football in general. He had tremendous admiration for Paul Brown and the team that carried his name, the Cleveland Browns. Both the coach and the team were difficult to ignore. They were revolutionary. They were exciting. They were a machine. The Browns won all four AAFC championships, 1946-49. They had a 47-4-3 record. When the Browns, 49ers and Colts moved to the NFL in 1950, the Browns showed their dominance was not left in the ashes of the rival league. They won the NFL titles in 1950, '54 and '55. In all, the Cleveland Browns played in 10 straight championship games, winning seven. Pretty much everything we see in the NFL today has the fingerprints of Paul Brown somewhere in it's development. George Halas may have been the heart of the NFL. Paul Brown was it's mind. As a kid, I went to sleep at nights with tales of Browns' Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli, Bill Willis and Lou Groza. Two of my favorites were Mac Speedie and Dub Jones. How could a kid not like players named Mac and Dub? A receiver named Mac Speedie? The 49ers had their own story makers in Frankie Albert, Alyn Beals, Bruno Banducci, Norm Standlee and the amazing Joe "the Jet" Perry. Who could forget other AAFC stars like Glenn Dobbs and Spec Sanders? I can't. Fantastic football players.
My father had such tremendous respect for the entire league. Despite the championships, the stars and the gaudy stats, the Browns were not the only strong AAFC team. The New York Yankees gave the Browns difficulties in the early years, the 49ers gave them scares later. The Browns, Yankees and 49ers would have challenged the NFL champs from those days. The Browns proved that by winning in 1950.

Calling the Empire State Building home, the AAFC stood tall in those four years of the late '40s. The AAFC played some fantastic football. They did it their way, and they did it well. The league didn't bring the numbers to the NFL that the AFL did later, but they sure brought quality. They proved that the greatest threat to the NFL is great players playing great football. Those conversations with my father started my passion for the history of professional football. The AAFC has so many terrific stories. I'll try to tell some of them.

Back to Mediation We Go

Well, the ongoing saga of the NFL labor dispute has finally started to move forward. I think that Judge Susan Nelson should just kick the ass of everyone involved and be done with it. Instead, starting Thursday mediation begins again. This time it is in Federal Court in Minneapolis, which is a win for the players. The owners wanted to go back to the same mediator in Washington DC that presided over the earlier round of talks. Judge Nelson appointed Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan to mediate these talks. Welcome Arthur. Judge Boylan will wield a stronger say in the talks than the previous mediator. He can make rulings, decisions whatever to keep the ball rolling. Judge Nelson will be close by if anything gets too snarky. This is especially pointed at dipshit owners like Jerry Jones and Jerry Richardson. This all sounds pretty promising to me. Also promising is that all parties that need to be there to agree to a deal will be there. No need to call or get someone in to give that ok. Get this thing done!

Spring Games

No, this isn't about the USFL. Although that would be a fine topic. A bumpy story that ends with the NFL losing another court case but winning in the long run. This Flicker is about the spring football games that are played at colleges across the land.

The games are often played at the end of spring practices. These practices, long held, have greatly increased in importance. So much so that high school kids are graduating early to enroll in college and attend these practices. They get a jump on the playbook and an edge over incoming freshmen that take the more traditional route. Current Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford got a jump start on the Georgia system to play early and often. It's difficult for any high school player to make the jump to college and play right away. Not everyone is like the Vikings dynamite RB Adrian Peterson, Heisman Trophy runner up as a freshman. Anyway, Stanford had their spring game this past Saturday. The Cardinal team beat the White team 42-3. New head coach David Shaw stacked the Cardinal team with all the starters. I'm not quite sure what this proved. He could have gone across the street and gathered up the Palo Alto High Vikings and kicked their ass too. I guess that all-world QB Andrew Luck needed the confidence boost. Last year, head coach Jim Harbaugh divided up the teams evenly and thrilled the fans with a 3-0 game. Maybe the one-sided fireworks of this years game was all for the fans. Of much greater importance, I think that Cal plays their Blue-Gold game this weekend. It seems that it often falls on my Anniversary weekend. Temptation? Oh, no!

What I have always found especially striking about these games is the disparity in fan interest between colleges. Stanford had about 6,800 fans attend the game. Cal probably draws a bit more, because they are simply better. Schools like Ohio St., Nebraska, Michigan (before Rich Rodriguez), and Tennessee regularly draw 90,000 or more fans. Some of these schools generate more money than all their sports, excepting football and basketball, combined in one day, It's astonishing. One day of football practice can fund the entire athletic budget of some schools.

Childress Thoughts

After thinking and writing about Sug and Pug. I have finally decided to toss out my thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings head coaching career of Brad Childress. I don't think that I have ever been as conflicted with any other Vikings coach. Except for the one year disaster that was Les Steckel's Vikings career, I have never been able to be adamantly against the presence of any current coach. It seems easy for some fans. Some regularly demand the ouster of the current coach. That always struck me as rather counterproductive. Why would I would ever wish for a Vikings coach to fail. His success equals Vikings success equals happy me.

A few years ago after Gregg Williams was fired as the Buffalo Bills coach, he said that his biggest mistake was coaching how he thought others wanted him to coach. I often wonder how many coaches do the same. All coaches should have a vision on how a team can and should be successful. If they don't have that vision, they should probably remain an assistant coach helping someone else follow their vision. As with all endeavors, adapting to challenges and changes is critical to achieving any goal. I think that Brad Childress had a clear vision. I'm also quite sure that he never made the mistake that Gregg Williams made. He coached his way the whole way. Childress' season records for the Vikings were 6-10, 8-8, 10-6, 12-4 and then the disastrous 2010 season. It is impossible to complain about a yearly two win gain. Steady improvement is usually a pretty good indication of solid coaching. The Vikings have a somewhat unique coach-vice president personnel decision making structure. Most teams have a coach or general manager that makes the final decisions. The Vikings talent level is as high as I have ever seen. Childress and vice president Rick Spielman have done an excellent job building the Vikings since 2006. They have smoothly used the draft, free agency and trades to build. I'd like to think that it was a partnership. All accounts indicate that it was. The one mistake has been at QB. Unfortunately, that is the one position that allows little room for error. Childress might still be coaching if he had ever found that one QB. The failure to obtain and develop that franchise QB led to old man Favre. That one great season showed what solid QB play could bring with this team. Childress' failure was due to his unwillingness to change, adapt, and maybe even listen. Childress came in saying that the Vikings would run a west coast offense and cover-2 defense. He didn't seem to let defensive coordinators Mike Tomlin or Leslie Frazier bring any of their own ideas to the table. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell only seemed to be the coordinator in title. Childress really did all of the offensive coordinating. Bevell didn't call plays until the third year, and even then the plays ran through Childress. Both Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte complained of not being able to change plays at the line. Favre had his differences with Childress as well, but I doubt that anyone could tell Favre that he couldn't change calls. Both Johnson and Frerotte had enough experience to know when a called play might not work. It was foolish to handcuff them like that. Everything seems to indicate that Childress gave people titles but little of the duties, especially on offense. He was often abrasive with the Minneapolis media. I can actually understand that. Those people are idiots.

Looking back on Childress' 4.5 years as head coach, I have more negative thoughts than positive. I find that troubling. If I keep my thoughts strictly on the obvious: Improvement each season, increased talent level, even improved personal team conduct. Everything seems to indicate a job well done. 2010 was a difficult season to shake. It was an absolute disaster from beginning to end. There were far too many distractions outside of football to even seem real. I have never seen anything like it. I never would have imagined anything like it. Even throwing out 2010, I just can't reconcile the good that Childress brought with the bad. I am excited that Leslie Frazier is the coach, but for some reason I am also disappointed that Childress isn't.

Pug

Fred Pagac, affectionately know as Pug, was hired by Brad Childress in 2006 to coach the Vikings linebackers. When defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazier, replaced Childress, Pagac was promoted to defensive coordinator. I'm very curious to see the direction of the defense. Late in the season, Pagac unleashed a very aggressive, blitzing attack that harassed the Eagles, Michael Vick in particular, all night. The Eagles idiot QB entered the game involved in every conversation for league MVP honors. He left that game outside of those conversations and very much beaten. The Vikings have had strong defenses the past few years, but they have been more of a reacting defense with sound tackling. That night they were much more attacking and disruptive.

Of all the coaches hired by Childress, Pagac and Mike Tomlin intrigued me the most. Tomlin because of his youth. Pagac because he has been coaching for over 30 years, mostly in college at Ohio State. Pagac started at his alma mater in 1978 as a graduate assistant to his former coach, Woody Hayes. Starting in 1982, Pagac coached the Buckeye linebackers until he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1996. His defenses were some of the best in college football. One of his star pupils was the awesome cornerback Antoine Winfield. Pagac moved to the NFL in 2000, coaching linebackers for the Raiders and Chiefs prior to joining the Vikings. He was on the Raiders staff for Super Bowl XXXVII.

With the recent success of the Vikings defense, the coordinator position has been a springboard to head coaching positions. First, Tomlin jumped to the Steelers in 2007. Frazier was hired to replace him and has interviewed for head coaching positions after each season, finally replacing Childress this year. With the uncertainty at the defensive coordinator position after each season, it was always reassuring to have Pagac in place. He brought a stability, an energy to the field. The players love playing for him. Anyone known as Pug has to bring something great. I have always had a fondness for the longtime assistant coaches. They simply love the game. They aren't looking for any headlines. Always refreshing. They are only in it for the football. Frazier made a very interesting addition to the Vikings when he hired Mike Singletary to replace Pagac as linebacker coach. With Pagac and Singletary, there may be more energy on the sideline than on the field. If Pagac brings a defense anything like the beat down on Vick, it should be a fun ride

Sug

Brad Childress hired some great people when he was named the Vikings head coach in 2006. Brad Childress is no longer the Vikings head coach, so those people are his greatest legacy, certainly his most lasting. Athletic trainers are usually anonymous members of football teams, but they are critical to the success of every team. Eric Sugarman, affectionately known as Sug, has excelled at getting the Vikings players healthy and keeping them healthy. Childress was the offensive coordinator with the Eagles when he encountered the skills of the teams little assistant athletic trainer. As soon as Childress got a head coaching gig, he grabbed Sug.

A trainer is defined by his success in getting players back on the field, and staying on the field. Sugarman has been incredible in that capacity. Knee injuries are football killers. Even with advances in medicine, a torn ACL is a lost year. In Sugarman's first year, linebacker and 1st round pick, Chad Greenway, tore his ACL before he had even played a regular season game. Fellow linebacker and special teams star, Heath Farwell, suffered the same injury a year later. Both returned strong and in much less than a year. Farwell made the Pro Bowl the year after. Greenway should have and has become one of the best linebackers in the league. Cornerback Cedric Griffen tore his ACL on the overtime kick off in the 2009 NFC Championship game. He was ready by training camp and playing better than ever. Unfortunately, he tore the other knee in the fourth game. The injury was another blow in an increasingly forgettable season. With Griffen's work ethic and Sugarman's guidance, I have no worries about Griffen's return. When draft clowns/experts claim that the Vikings need a cornerback in the draft, they miss the presence of Sugarman on the team. Late in the 2009 season, Vikings LB EJ Henderson suffered a brutal broken femur. His football career was in serious jeopardy. Sugarman showed Henderson the book on rehabbing an injury like this. They decided to write a new one. Eight months after his leg flopped about like a noodle, Henderson was ready for training camp. Perhaps Sugarman's greatest challenge has been the maniac Jared Allen. A grade 3 AC sprain in the shoulder is a miserable injury that involves constant, throbbing pain and signifies an automatic flat tire for a defensive end whose whole game revolves around his shoulders. Allen had this injury. He missed Wednesday and Thursday practices, worked with the trainer on Friday to see if he could use his arm at all, played on Sunday when most players wouldn't play for weeks, and recorded two sacks. Allen can get a trainer in trouble. Protecting a player from himself is sometimes the toughest part of the job. Allen couldn't injure his shoulder more than it already was. That wasn't the case with running back Adrian Peterson during his rookie season. He had already missed two games with a knee injury. Peterson had enough and demanded to play. Sugarman semijoked that they almost got into a fistfight because Peterson wanted to play so bad. "He was pissed," Sugarman says. "But he got over it. Contrary to popular opinion, we're not going to put guys out there in harm's way." With the NFL finally acknowledging the seriousness of concussions, the trainer has become even more critical. They hide the helmets of players that have possible concussions. The trainers are now entrusted with keeping the players healthy now and long term.

In the violent world of football, keeping players playing is critical to a teams success. It is reassuring to have Sug on the Vikings.

A Day in Court

Well everyone's favorite little dispute had it's day in court on Wednesday. Judge Susan Nelson said that she would give her decision in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, she strongly urged the players and owners to return to mediation and get this thing settled. I hope that everyone was listening. Turns out that both parties want to return to mediation. Here's the kicker, they can't agree on where to hold these discussions. The owners want to return to Federal mediation with George Cohen in Washington DC. They have already spent over 2 weeks with Cohen and got nowhere. Now they want more? The players think that Federal mediation in Judge Nelson's court in Minnesota is the place. This is ridiculous. They can't even decide where to neogtiate. How are they going to get anything settled? The owners aren't building any smiles with Judge Nelson. They might want to tread lightly in her court and in their path to dodge her court. Just get this thing done. Clowns!

Throwback Thursday: The Nessers

The Mannings have brought a great family presence to the NFL. The Packers' Clay Matthews is the third generation of his family to play in the league. His brother, Casey, is set to join him. The Manning and Matthews families, as great as their accomplishments are, have nothing on the Nessers.

John, Paul, Ted, Frank, Fred and Al Nesser were football playing brothers for the Columbus Panhandles. They starred prior to the NFL and the first few years of the new league. Seventh brother, Ray played in a few games before concentrating on his career as a Columbus Police officer. The family representation didn't stop there. Brother-in-law John Schneider and nephew Ted Hopkins also competed with the Panhandles. In 1921, Ted's son, Charles, joined his father on the team.

The pre-NFL Panhandles were an Ohio power. Which means that the team was one of the better teams anywhere. The team was run by one of the most significant figures in the history of professional football. Joe Carr would go on to become the first real president/commissioner of the NFL. His work and dedication kept the league alive during the first two decades. Prior to the NFL, Carr worked for the Panhandle division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Carr loved sports but was not much of an athlete. He had a great passion for the business and logistic side of sports. He would form a company football team. Lucky for Carr, the makings of a great team already worked for the Railroad. The team was built around the Nessers. A great benefit to being Railroad employees was the free travel to games. Carr took advantage of this by scheduling mostly road games. The team practiced during their lunch hour. They would slam down their lunches in 15 minutes and practice the remainder. The team was a true family affair, Rose Nesser would drive the team when needed. Romance blossomed as Rose and John Schneider met, fell in love and married.

Ah, the football. The Nessers were truly something else. None of the team had any college experience. The brothers learned and played the game amongst themselves on the railyards. As brothers will do, they would kill each other. When they played other teams, something brutal was unleashed.

"Getting hit by a Nesser is like falling from a moving train"-Knute Rockne, Massilon Tigers end

"Once again the presence of the Nesser brothers guaranteed injuries."-the Detroit Free Press

In the less organized, pre-NFL days, teams would occasionally show up short players. The Panhandles, in an effort to keep the game on, would loan a player or two. John Schneider was often the player. He was scared to death of the Nessers. They would destroy him. He wouldn't be able to work for a week. Schneider didn't know what was more scary, playing against the brothers or asking their permission to marry their sister.

By the time the Columbus Panhandles had joined the NFL, the Nessers had already played for 15 years. John played until he was 45. Their greatest years were those before. Al Nesser still made some All-Pro teams from 1922-25. From 1909-1919, the Panhandles had a 48-39-7 record in mostly road games. Even in victory, the Nessers opponents often felt like the beaten team.

As gentle off the field as the were vicious on it, the Nessers were a larger than life family in Columbus in those days. Now, they are largely forgotten. Surprisingly, Joe Carr is as well. Columbus was in the center of the professional football universe. It's disappointing that it is as if it never happened. The Professional Football Hall of Fame recently opened a Nesser family display. It's well deserved. All current football playing families are treading water trying to catch the Nessers.

D-Day

Well, the pissing match that is the labor stalemate continues today in the Minneapolis court of Judge Susan Nelson. My friend, Brian Robison, will be there as one of the plaintiffs. In my opinion there are only two possible decisions in this case: 1) order the two parties back to mediation and get this thing settled immediately. 2) Rule in favor of the players, lift the lockout, get back to work, and negotiate a settlement as everything gets back on track. This whole thing is ridiculous. It needs to end now.

Ray Lewis Coaching Tree

I recently watched an interesting NFL Films Presents episode on the coaching tree spread from Ray Lewis. Usually when people speak of coaching trees it starts with a coach. Starting with a player is a very different take on it. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker is such a tremendous talent that it is no surprise that he has impacted many coaching careers. When a player shines on the field it reflects nicely on the coaches. The round table discussion involved current Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who I think is a fantastic coach. It also included previous Ravens defensive coordinators and linebacker coaches Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan, Mike Smith, Jack Del Rio and Mike Singletary. An added plus to the show was having Ray Lewis watching the proceedings on TV. He was able to make comments as he watched. Singletary is now the Vikings linebacker coach, a hire that the Flea Flicker enthusiastically endorses. He was the 49ers head coach at the time. All the other coaches are currently NFL head coaches. Their promotions to those positions were greatly enhanced by the presence of Ray Lewis in their careers. They all readily admit this. Lewis' skill, leadership and football smarts have always made him a coach on the field. Making him an extension of the coaches on the sideline. It is a unique and wonderful relationship between these men. It was humorous that Marvin Lewis, a coach that I find quite reserved, was the most outspoken in the discussion. Rex Ryan, a coach that I find exceedingly outspoken, was probably the most reserved. The whole show was interesting. We often see the impact that coaches have on players. It was nice to see the impact a player can have on his coaches.

Injury Realities

I don't think that fans truly acknowledge or understand the injuries of football players. I've heard that some players dread shaking hands with anybody during the season. Everything hurts. It may take months, certainly weeks, after the season to feel right again. Those are just the aches and pain from the routine of football. If a true injury is involved, the rehab, the recovery, the time rises. Perhaps a "tune-up surgery" is required to clean out and clear up some stuff. The first real rest that a player needs may not come until they retire. I once sprained my ankle in March. It was still swollen in December. My daily routine is much less physically demanding than that of an NFL player. Most would agree. The expectations of the fans do not always equal the realities of the player.

Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice hurt his hip during the 2009 NFC Championship game against the Saints. It was a nagging sort of injury. One of those injuries that could be treated with surgery or rest. Surgery can cut into a player's career in many ways. Any player would rather avoid the knife if they can. Rice opted for rest. By training camp, it was obvious that Rice had made the wrong choice. He had to have the surgery in August and would miss half of the season. Fans went ballistic. Reporters cried salary dispute. Reporters, especially the clowns in Minneapolis, really need to stop trying to stir up controversy and just report the news. Everyone had an opinion and few cared about Rice or the reality of his situation. The uproar was ridiculous. In a Vikings season full of troubles, Rice's injury may have been the greatest blow. Rice made a decision that was best for him, his team and his career. The fans and press don't care about that. They both view everything the day after. We have a generation of fans raised on fantasy football and Madden video games. Their concerns are rarely based upon the health and safety of the players. Few care about what the players go through to suit up for games. There is now a legion of fans that care little for Rice because he made a decision that he felt was the best at that time.

Every time the players step onto a field they gamble with their lives. A player's career can end in a second. Perhaps that is a sick part of football's appeal. From the routine aches to the serious injury, football players spend a decent chunk of their lives in some sort of discomfort. That is quite a price to pay for our entertainment. Maybe we could learn to appreciate it a bit more.

85

Chad Ochocinco always brings a smile. The number man is taking a stab at professional soccer while his day job is spending time in the courts. Reporters, often lacking in smarts, ask him if it's all just a publicity stunt, and it makes him laugh. Publicity? From soccer? In America? "People don't get me at all, man," he says. They really don't. He's just having fun, no matter the sport. Ochocinco may be a pretty good soccer player, but he is still an elite football player. Possibly moving into the twilight of his career, he can still strike fear in  NFL cornerbacks. A few years ago, he ranked with Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt as the finest receivers in the league. As great as he was catching passes, he may have had a greater presence outside the lines and in the end zone. He brought a personality and energy to the game. Typically, I cringe at acts like his, but there has always been something fun and genuine about Ochocinco's act. Does anybody, on and off the field, try harder? NFL Unplugged author Anthony Gargano said, "He successfully taught most of middle America how to say eight and five in Spanish". Few players can claim similar accomplishments. Ochocinco plays football like we all did when we were young. It's a game, and he's enjoying it. He helps others enjoy it too.

Stadium Dreams

The next few weeks are crunch time for the Minnesota Vikings stadium efforts. It's ridiculous that it has even gotten to this point. The lease with the horrible Metrodome ends after the 2011 season. Something should have been done long before this to allow for a seamless transition. There has always been the threat of the team moving if a new Stadium is not completed. I don't see the Wilf family moving the Vikings. Even with Los Angeles begging for an NFL team. I can see the Wilf's selling the team, if the politicians ignore it all once more, and who knows what the next owner will do. For whatever reason, Minnesota's people and politicians just sit and waffle with their professional sports teams. The Lakers and North Stars left the state. The Twins were nearly dead and buried. It still baffles me that the Twins owner comes within a whisper of folding up shop, and is rewarded with a new ballpark before the Vikings. Both teams called the same dump home. Although the great success of the Twins new park may help the Vikings get a new stadium. There has been an incredible explosion of new stadiums in the NFL. The run away success of the of the league has forced the teams to keep pace, culminating in Jerry Jones' ridiculous shrine to himself. The ability of other communities to build stadiums highlights the inability of Minnesota to do the same. In the 10+ years that then owner Red McCombs and the Wilf's have been pushing for a new stadium, a Stadium Bill has never been brought before the legislature. It has always been crushed, pushed aside or ignored well before that. Next week, a Stadium Bill will be presented for the first time. They have some interesting and unusual money generating methods for the state to cover a third of the cost, a third from local funds, and a third from the Vikings. The Vikings are too much a part of Minnesota to lose. The people should be all too aware of the potential loss of another professional team. It's real. If they waffle some more, it will happen again. The dreams finally seem real. Get it done.

Draft to Lockout

The lockout is a pain for so many reasons. Many have been talked about to nausea. The work stoppage now, possible cancellation of the season later, the sale of wings on fall Sundays, etc. Pretty much the only thing going on, the only touch of reality, is the progression towards the draft. The whole draft process is exhilarating. Everyone knows that. It does lead to something few people seem to be considering. One of the greatest thrills of the draft is seeing these kid's dreams coming true. This has been their goal for years. As soon as his name is called during the draft, there will be thrills, excitement, relief, so many great feelings. Then what? Previous years they would hop on a plane and fly to their new football home. Now, they go from that high to a lockout. The coach or general manager calls, says "welcome to the team, now you gotta stay away, see you whenever." It has to be a shock to drop from that thrill to the reality of a ridiculous lockout. I'm much more concerned about this than the owner's next get rich scheme.